Secret Santa
by Gazing on the Arabesque
Summary: For one week, Konoha's favorite genin have to do a secret Santa exchange with each other. While everyone else is scrambling to find gifts for their secret people, Sakura's secret Santa has been delivering her gifts early in the morning. Pairing inside!


**Hello again! I wanted to write a Christmas story for Naruto, so here's mine! There's probably a lot of these, but please bear with me. There WILL be a pairing… revealed at the end. So NO PEEKING! Anyway, this takes place after Itachi beats Sasuke to a bloody pulp, but before Sasuke leaves. Enjoy!**

XX

_Sunday…_

"Gah!" Naruto yelled in exasperation. "He's late again! When he gets here, I'll—"

"Ugh, shut up, Naruto!" Sakura groaned. "Where _is_ he?!" Sasuke sighed, clearly annoyed. Right on cue, a particularly large mound of snow fell on the unfortunate Team Seven. Sasuke was the first to submerge, shivering. Kakashi was waiting for him in front of it.

"Yo!" he greeted, only earning a glare from the Uchiha. Naruto was the next to appear.

"What the hell was that for?!" he yelled. Kakashi merely chuckled in response. Sakura was the last to submerge.

"Y-Y-Y-You're l-l-late…" she managed to say through chattering teeth.

"Well I was taking a stroll through the path of life, and—"

"LIAR!" Naruto and Sakura yelled in unison. Sasuke merely cocked his head to the side and hn-ed. Kakashi waved his hand dismissively.

"Anyway, I have some good news." He paused dramatically, and his students stared up at him expectantly. "Since Christmas is this Friday, no missions this week!" Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke blinked in unison.

"That's supposed to be _good _news?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi's eye narrowed slightly.

"Because," he continued, ignoring Sasuke's comment, "the four genin teams will be doing a Secret Santa exchange."

"Oh, it's like what we did in the Academy!" Naruto yelled excitedly. "That thing where everyone picks a name out of a hat and they have to give them gifts and stuff!"

"Yup, one for each day of the week," Kakashi replied. "We have to head over to the Hokage's office to see who your lucky recipient is."

"Wow, this is going to be fun!" Sakura said, squealing a little.

--

"All right then!" Tsunade yelled. "I'll pass this hat around, and everyone has to pick a name!" The four teams nodded stiffly. The hat started off with Shikamaru. He drew a slip of paper and groaned.

"How troublesome…" he groaned.

"Why?" Ino asked, leaning over to look at the paper. "Who'd you get?" Shikamaru folded the paper and stuffed it in his pocket.

"I don't think I'm supposed to tell you," he replied. The hat was passed to Chouji, who simply smiled at his slip of paper. Then Ino, who squealed at hers. Kiba was the next to draw a slip.

"Yes!" he cheered. "This'll be easy, right Akamaru?" Said dog barked in response. "Here you go, Hinata." Hinata picked up a slip, her hands shaking slightly. Reading the name, she sighed in relief. Four people, one rather loud comment about youth, one giggle, one smirk, and one "hn" later, the hat finally got to Team Seven. Naruto stuffed his hand into the hat and dug around.

"What are you digging around for?" Sakura asked. "There's only three names left."

"Hang on!" Naruto yelled back. "This one's a winner. I can feel it!" He finally chose a paper, which was now rather crumpled. His face fell as he read the name. "Aw, what am I supposed to do for this one?! I barely even know them!" Sakura leaned over to see who it was, but Naruto immediately covered it. "No peeking, Sakura-chan!" She groaned.

"Fine…" She picked up the first paper she touched and opened it. _Rock Lee_. She smiled at the name, already coming up with gifts for the youthful beast of the Leaf. She handed the hat to Sasuke, who drew the last name. His eyes widened slightly before shoving the slip of paper into his pocket and giving the hat back to Tsunade.

"Ok!" she barked. "You have to bring a gift here for your person every day, be it something as small as candy to something as big as a statue. On the last day, you have to give your gift in person." Sakura raised her hand meekly.

"But…" she mumbled. "Doesn't that mean you'll know who everyone has already?" Tsunade smiled evilly.

"Yes, it does," she replied. "Now go find your gifts!"

_Monday…_

"Got any gifts yet?" Ino asked Sakura, who stared blankly at her.

"I haven't been to Hokage-sama's office since yesterday," Sakura reminded her ecstatic friend. Ino flushed red.

"Oh right…" She laughed nervously. "I forgot." Sakura sighed. "So who'd you get, Sakura?" Sakura stared at her "frenemy" sideways.

"I'm not supposed to tell you." Ino huffed in annoyance and turned her head. "Although… I bet he'll love his rather… _youthful_ present." Ino smirked.

"Sucks to be you! You'll never guess who I got!" Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Shikamaru?"

"No."

"Chouji?"

"No."

"Naruto?"

"Getting warmer." By Ino's wide grin, the answer was obvious. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Don't get him sweets. He hates those." She smirked lightly. "I bet he'll be overjoyed if you just get him a gigantic can of tomato sauce." Sakura paused. "_That_, or tie up and stuff his brother in a box, give him a bunch of weapons, and deliver the box to him on the last day so he can kill his brother slowly and painfully. _That_'ll make his Christmas." Ino groaned.

"Do you really know Sasuke-kun _that_ well?" Sakura shrugged, enjoying every second of this.

"Well, he's my teammate, so I guess I have no choice."

At Tsunade's Office…

"Ah, Yamanaka and Haruno," Tsunade greeted as the two walked in the door.

"_Ohaiyo_, Tsunade-sama," Sakura greeted, bowing her head.

"_Ohaiyo_," Ino repeated.

"Here to drop off presents, I presume?" Tsunade asked, not looking up from her papers.

"_Hai_," the two said in unison. Tsunade finally looked up and smirked lightly.

"So? Who are the lucky recipients?" Ino pulled out a small box wrapped in silver foil, topped with a bright red ribbon.

"This is for Sasuke-kun," she said, grinning broadly. Tsunade tsked.

"Ah, the ladies' man," she said. "And you, Sakura?" Sakura pulled out a rather long box wrapped in bright green paper.

"This is for Lee-san," Sakura said meekly. Tsunade smiled and nodded as the girls turned to leave.

"Oh wait, Sakura," she said, causing the two girls to stop dead in their tracks. "Your secret Santa dropped off their gift for you this morning." Sakura's eyes went wide.

"Really?" she asked incredulously, whirling around. "Already?" Tsunade smiled and nodded, handing her a small silver box with a pink bow on it. Sakura took it from her, her hands shaking. "Thanks… Let's go, Ino."

"Y-Yeah…" The two then left Tsunade's office. "So?" Ino asked once Tsunade was out of earshot. "What did they get you?" Sakura lifted the lid of the box gently and gasped. Sitting inside was a silver bracelet with a charm hanging from one link. The charm was a pair of silver cherries. Ino's eyes widened in shock. "Whoa… who gave that to you?"

"I guess I'll find out Friday," Sakura replied monotonously. At the bottom of the box was a note reading:

_Sakura,_

_My identity is currently a secret, and yet it is extremely obvious. I doubt you would even suspect me of being your secret Santa, but you're a smart girl. You'll figure it out eventually. The first charm on this bracelet is self-explanatory. I would be disappointed if you didn't figure it out in a matter of seconds. Enjoy your day off._

_-Your secret Santa_

"Maybe Bushy-Brows got you," Ino suggested after reading the note.

"Can't be," Sakura replied almost immediately. "If it was, then this note would have 'youth' at least once in every sentence. They didn't even mention youth once."

"Naruto?" Ino suggested.

"He would have probably given me gift cards to Ichiraku's or instant ramen," Sakura replied monotonously. Ino seized the charm bracelet.

"Ooh, your secret Santa sounds so cool!" she squealed. "And he's dropping your presents off early in the morning too! He must really like you."

"How do you know it's a boy?" Sakura asked, frowning a little. "It could be a girl."

"It isn't me, I swear!" Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You already_ told_ me who your secret person is."

"Yeah, but it can't be Hinata-chan or Tenten-chan. This looks like something Hinata-chan would give you, but she probably wouldn't write a note. And Tenten-chan would probably just get you weapons." Sakura sighed, taking one last look at the note before placing it back in the box.

"I guess you're right."

_Tuesday…_

"Teme, wait for me!" Naruto yelled as he struggled to keep up with Sasuke. "Why are we even going this early?"

"No special reason," Sasuke replied without looking back once. He slowed down to a steady pace.

"So who do you have?" Naruto asked mischievously. Sasuke turned to glare at the blonde.

"Not telling," he replied.

"Come on! I'll tell you who I have if you tell me who you have!" Sasuke paused, considering this.

"Fine. You go first." Naruto's face lit up.

"Ok! I have Hinata-chan!" Sasuke raised his eyebrows slightly. "I had to bug Neji and Kiba to give me some advice on what to give her, but now I think I got it!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. "So who do you have?" Silence.

"Not telling."

"Come on!"

"Hurry up, Dobe, or she's going to get there before us." Naruto's face lit up.

"_She_? She who?" But it was too late. Sasuke had broken into a run, leaving Naruto behind. "Hey, Teme, wait for me!"

_Wednesday_

Sakura groaned as she headed down to the training grounds. What was wrong with Sasuke? Why did he call a training session in the middle of their week off? The reason? The minute she and Naruto arrived at the training grounds, Sasuke was holding up a little doll of his brother with a bunch of pins stuffed into it. It had little red and black splotches for eyes and a stupid grin upon its face. Sakura couldn't even contain her laughter. "We can't just stop training," he said, "if we want to achieve _this_." He rattled the doll around. Naruto just tilted his head to the side and frowned, but Sakura was clutching her aching sides, laughing until her stomach ached. But, in the end, the team had to train, or Sasuke would never let them hear the end of it, so they trained. Naruto left soon after, and Sakura was finally alone with Sasuke.

"So…" she said awkwardly. "Did your secret Santa give you that voodoo doll of your brother?" Sakura held her breath to keep from laughing out loud.

"Hn," Sasuke replied, nodding slightly. Unable to contain it, Sakura let out a giggle. Sasuke gave another "hn" and fell silent. Sakura sighed as she gazed down at her charm bracelet. Sasuke couldn't help but look down at it as well. Cherries for Monday, a snowflake for Tuesday ("for the best time of the year"), and a leaf for Wednesday ("for your loyalty to our village"). "Where did you get that?" Sakura looked up at Sasuke, grinning broadly.

"Secret Santa," she replied without hesitation. "He's so sweet." She held up her wrist to show him the charm bracelet. "He gave me this bracelet on Monday with just the cherry charm, and then he gave me these other two yesterday and today. He even wrote a note elaborating on each charm!" She sighed dreamily. Sasuke turned his face to the side and muttered something that sounded a lot like "annoying". Sakura glared at him. "What's so annoying about that?! It's sweet!"

"Have you figured out who it is yet?" he asked randomly. Sakura gave a sigh that sounded like a deflating balloon.

"No… I know it's not any of the girls because I already know who Ino has, and it's not like Hinata-chan or Tenten-chan to give me something like _this_. I'm still trying to figure out which guy it is though. I don't think it's Lee, Naruto, or Chouji, but that leaves you, Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, and Shino."

"Hn." He smirked slightly. "You'll figure it out eventually."

_Thursday…_

Sakura walked up to the Hokage's office with Sasuke. "Did you already drop off your gift, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. He nodded without a word. "I still have to give mine. Thank you so much for coming with me."

"Hn." They were left in silence until they reached Tsunade's office.

"_Ohaiyo_, Tsunade-sama," Sakura greeted.

"_Ohaiyo_," Sasuke repeated.

"I'm here to deliver my gift," Sakura told the Hokage, who grinned broadly.

"Great!" Tsunade said rather loudly. "Your secret Santa delivered their gift this morning!" Tsunade handed Sakura a small golden box, and Sakura's eyes widened as a hint of a smile spread across her face.

"Again? He's been doing that every day this week!"

"I know," Tsunade replied, her gaze flickering to Sasuke. "Sweet, isn't it?" Sakura blushed and nodded.

"Well, we have to go," Sakura told her. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Tsunade shouted after them. "Enjoy your gift!" Once out of the office, Sakura opened the small golden box. Inside was a silver charm in the shape of a rose. As usual, there was a note below it:

_Sakura,_

_I have to admit, it was a little difficult picking out a gift for today. They were all so beautiful, and I had trouble deciding which one fit you best. Anyway, I picked a rose for today. Many seem to comment on you being as pretty as a cherry blossom, but you seem to be so much more than that._

_-Your secret Santa_

_P.S. Meet me at the swing near the Academy tomorrow at 17:00. I will reveal my identity then._

Sakura's face was glowing bright scarlet as she read and reread the note several times. She sighed dreamily as she placed the note back in the box and attached the charm to her bracelet. Sasuke glanced sideways at her.

"You still haven't figured out who it is yet?" he asked, sounding somewhat annoyed. A defeated expression crossed Sakura's face as she shook her head. Sasuke turned his head to the side and a twinge of pink appeared on his cheeks. "You'll figure it out eventually." Sakura glared at him.

"You've been saying that every day since Monday." Sasuke shrugged.

"Hn."

_Friday…_

Sakura sat on the swing near the Academy shivering lightly. Her secret Santa hadn't shown up yet, and she was really hoping he'd hurry. Suddenly, Sasuke walked up to the swing and sat down next to her. "Hi, Sasuke-kun," Sakura greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied flatly.

"I'm here to meet my secret Santa," she replied meekly. "I really wish he'd hurry. It's freezing."

"Still haven't figured out who it is yet?" Sasuke asked without meeting her gaze. Sakura sighed.

"No…" Sasuke pulled out a small red box tied with a golden ribbon.

"Perhaps this should make things a little easier for you." He handed the box to Sakura, who stared at it in surprise. Unable to restrain herself, she pulled off the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. Sakura gaped at it for a few seconds before finally replying.

"Sasuke-kun… you… you're my…" Sakura fell silent, unable to keep up with her racing thoughts. Sasuke simply smirked at her.

"Took you long enough," he said smoothly.

"But… how? The notes… they didn't sound anything like you." He shrugged and turned his head away from Sakura. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but she could see a faint pink flush on his cheeks.

"They were nothing more than things I couldn't say aloud." Sakura looked down at the charm bracelet, then at the necklace. She gave a small smile.

"Thank you… This really means a lot…"

"Hn." They were left in silence for a few minutes. Sakura kept staring at the necklace and Sasuke kept watching her. Then…

"Sasuke-teme! Sakura-chan!" They both looked up, snapped out of their thoughts, only to see Naruto running towards them. "Hinata-chan's so weird!" Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Why?" she asked. "What did she do?" Naruto crossed his arms and pouted.

"I gave her the gift in person and then she fainted!" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"If you haven't noticed, she tends to do that, Dobe," Sasuke said flatly.

"So did you meet your person yet, Teme?" Sakura blushed and immediately looked down. Sasuke turned his head to the side, also turning red as well. "What? Who did you get?"

"Um… Naruto…" Sakura stuttered. Naruto stared at them for a few seconds before realizing the truth.

"No way, Teme!" he yelled. "You got Sakura-chan?!" Sasuke nodded slowly. Naruto laughed mischievously. "I'm telling Kakashi-sensei!"

"What?!" Sakura practically screamed.

"Naruto, no!" Sasuke yelled. But it was too late. He was gone.

XX

**Aaaaauuuugggghhhh such a crappy ending to this fluffy fic **** Anyway, I know Christmas was two weeks ago, but this fic is way overdue. So PLEASE bear with me. PLEASE REVIEW!!**


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